Pill dispensing often requires numerous different mechanisms that are designed to recognize, sort and count pills, capsules and tablets of many different sizes, shapes and material properties. (For purposes of simplicity in this document a capsule, gelcap, tablet or the like is referred to as a “pill.”) In order for a pill dispenser to properly recognize and accurately count many different kinds of pills, it has often been necessary to modify, or even have different dispenser designs that are specifically dedicated to accommodate different kinds of pills. Often, adjustments must be made to a particular device during its operation. Such changes greatly inhibit the use of such devices in facilities that are automated or continuously run. Many of these devices are problematical, due to their lack of reliability, especially with respect to counting accuracy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,806 issued Mar. 23, 1999 by Boyer, et al. and assigned to the present assignee, for DEVICE THAT COUNTS AND DISPENSES PILLS, describes a mechanism that helps overcome many of the aforementioned problems. The pill-dispensing system has a number of standardized, or universal-type, modules. Each module has a rotating, helix-drive mechanism, which is rotationally controlled by a microprocessor. The helical-drive mechanism features several improvements, both in the drive mechanism and in the software control of the rotational drive system by the microprocessor that allows for the dispensing of pills of all shapes and sizes one at a time. The helix of the drive is securely mounted within a rotatable, hollow tube. A stationary collar is mounted adjacent the upper end of the rotating tube. The rotating helix extends into the stationary collar and forces pills from the hollow tube to the dispensing edge of the stationary collar. A hopper positioned at the input end, or mouth of the tube, feeds a batch quantity of pills to the drive mechanism. The tube is angled upwardly from the mouth portion, so that the pill-dispensing end is positioned above the input end. In this fashion, the pills that are fed through the tube move upwardly against gravity.
The utilization of pill dispensing machines has greatly increased since the aforementioned patent application was filed, as have the quantities and different types of pills that must be automatically dispensed on a daily basis. Furthermore, prescriptions for pills that are filled by mail order have become more prevalent, increasing the need for accurate pill counting and dispensing equipment.
In order to maintain function and accurate count reliability, the maintenance necessary to keep the many dispensing devices has increased. For example, in certain high volume dispensing operations where pills are dispensed in large numbers, pill dust buildup due to electro-static charge accumulation requires more frequent cleaning of the dispensers. Under conditions of low humidity, dust buildup for many pills is exacerbated. Pill dust buildup on optical sensors can eventually lead to unreliable pill count accuracy. Pill dust also can cause machinery to clog and parts to wear out prematurely due to friction. Therefore, maintenance and cleaning necessary to assure accurate pill count and equipment life is an economically important consideration for high volume pill dispensing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,005, issued to Coughlin, et al. on Jul. 15, 2003 for PILL COUNT SENSOR FOR AUTOMATIC MEDICAMENT DISPENSING MACHINE, discloses a pill count sensor comprising an electromagnetic energy emitting array and an electromagnetic energy receiving array, with a pill detection zone defined therebetween; a sensor amplifier; a control board interfaced with a computing device; and interconnecting cabling. The electromagnetic energy emitting and receiving arrays emit and receive, respectively, beams of electromagnetic energy across the zone such that any pill entering the zone is detected by a resulting disruption in received electromagnetic energy at the receiving array. A sensor amplifier is operable to automatically self-calibrate in order to compensate for detected electromagnetic energy levels, and to generate a pill sense signal in response to a detected pill. A control board increments a pill count.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,348,094 and 8,020,724, issued to Remis, et al. on Jan. 8, 2013 and Sep. 20, 2011, respectively, for VACUUM BASED PILL SINGULATOR AND COUNTER BASED THEREON, disclose a singulating disc, carried by a housing, having a plurality of openings around its periphery. The disc rotates vertically through a pickup chamber of a hopper carried by the housing. A vacuum is pulled through the openings by a pump which is connected to the disc. Items are placed in the hopper and, via gravity, fall to the bottom of the hopper where they contact the periphery of the rotating disc. The vacuum at the openings attaches an item and holds it while the disc rotates. At the top of the discs rotation, a diverter directs the item into a path depending on the results of fragment detection and/or counting mechanism. Items that are allowed to pass by the diverter are scraped off the disc into another path by a scraper. Negative pressure is used to singulate and count a multitude of sizes and shapes of items with no calibration. Retractable paddles, a vacuum management system, and RFID tags may be incorporated. The paddles aid in the pickup and agitation of the items while the vacuum management system conserves the vacuum capacity necessary to pickup and singulate items. The RFID tags may contain information such as the number of items left in the hopper, a par level for that item, and an expiration date, among others.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,271,128, issued to Schultz on Sep. 18, 2012 for PHARMACY WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INCLUDING PLURAL COUNTERS, discloses a pharmacy workflow management system including plural counters and a pharmacy workflow management method. The system includes a housing, a first automatic object counter, and a cassette dispenser which feeds objects from a cassette mounted thereto to the first object counter. A second object counter counts objects fed from a cassette mounted to the cassette dispenser. A data processing platform within the housing is programmed with instructions that enable the system to compare the counts from the first and second object counters. The data processing platform also provides for management of pharmacy workflow by providing control of prescription fulfillment.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,141,330 issued to Henkel on Mar. 27, 2012 for SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF AUTOMATED TABLET DISPENSING, PRESCRIPTION FILLING, AND PACKAGING, discloses a system and method of automatically dispensing tablets. The system includes an automatic dispensing tablet dispensing system and provides a means of lowering errors while preventing unauthorized tampering by non-authorized personnel. Moreover, the invention relates to systems and methods for packaging vials, packaging items from totes, and packaging items from totes with vials.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,624,894 and 7,210,598 issued to Gerold, et al. on Dec. 1, 2009 and May 1, 2007, respectively, for AUTOMATED PILL-DISPENSING APPARATUS, disclose a pill-dispensing apparatus for automatically dispensing solid pills that includes a plurality of storage units and a pill dispensing module. The storage units store pills in bulk and each include a hopper and an auger movably positioned with respect to the hopper. An inlet of the auger is positioned to receive pills from the hopper. The pill-dispensing module includes: a dock for receiving and holding a selected one of the storage units, a drive unit for rotating the auger to motivate the pills along the auger, a pill counter for counting pills dispensed from an auger outlet, and a lift for tilting the hopper to control flow and to assist in motivating pills to fall from the hopper and move along the auger.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,571,023, issued to Mitchell, et al. on Aug. 4, 2009 for PHARMACEUTICAL SINGULATION COUNTING AND DISPENSING SYSTEM, discloses an apparatus for counting pharmaceutical units having a supporting deck assembly, a hopper, a cylindrical chamber and a transport ring positioned between the hopper and the cylindrical chamber. The hopper has a tilted floor, which can be shaken or vibrated to discharge the units on to a transport ring, and the transport ring is sloped downward from its inner to outer perimeter, which brings the units into contact with the undulating surface of the walls of the cylindrical chamber to promote singulation prior to counting.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,259, issued to Stevens, et al. on Oct. 19, 2004 for MEDICATION DISPENSER, discloses a medication tablet dispenser with an upright casing providing a tower which is subdivided by horizontal partitions into eight compartments which individually contain removable holders each containing a charge of tablets to be dispensed. The holders have framing portions which together provide a funnel opening downwardly into a cavity of a blister sheet. The casing is vibrated back and forth about its vertical axis through a small angle to cause tablets in the holders to progress towards an outlet leading into the funnel and having an associated ejector which discharges selected tablets into the funnel when required by a computer program. Conical vibration of the casing is prevented by a connection located on its vertical axis and held stationary by a fixed arm. The ejectors operate in response to slide-rods individually reciprocated by associated solenoids controlled by the computer program.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,592,005 and 5,638,417, issued to Boyer, et al. on Sep. 23, 1997 and Jun. 10, 1997, respectively, and assigned to the present assignee for METHOD FOR COUNTING AND DISPENSING TABLETS, CAPSULES, AND PILLS and SYSTEM FOR PILL AND CAPSULE COUNTING AND DISPENSING, respectively, disclose a method and apparatus for counting and dispensing pills, tablets, and capsules which depends on a simple vibrating, sloped, concave-shaped (e.g., V-shaped) trough, having a number of descending steps. The vibration of the trough is controlled and adjusted by a microprocessor. The vibration of the trough is patterned to provide greater vibratory amplitude at its dispensing end than at its intake end. The difference at each end of the trough in vibratory amplitude is achieved by elastomeric supports that are differently spring dampened. The microprocessor electronically adjusts the input vibration to the trough, such that the flow of materials is adjusted for different types of materials (i.e., tablets of different shapes and/or sizes). This causes the tablets to align accurately within the trough, and sequentially pass a pill detector mechanism in single file. This ensures that the device can handle an extremely varied range of tablet or capsule sizes and shapes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,169, issued to Clark on May 4, 1976 for VIBRATING FEEDER DEVICE, discloses an electromagnetic feeder device operable for creating controlled vibration. The electromagnetic feeder device includes means for permitting both the frequency of vibration to be tuned and the armature gap setting to be adjusted while the device is operating. The electromagnetic feeder device has an electromagnet coil supported on a coil mounting plate. In turn, the coil mounting plate is supported on a base angle plate which itself is supported on a base angle whereby the vibrating firing angle of the electromagnetic feeder device may be adjusted, i.e., the device may be made to vibrate left or right.
What is needed is an improved pill dispenser that is more reliable and addresses problems such as parts wear and dust buildup over time. The dispenser should be able to handle an ever increasing variety of sizes, shapes and material properties of pills with extremely high count reliably while requiring less maintenance, calibration, or modification compared with previous designs.